Impasse- A situation in which no progress is possible, esp. because of disagreement; a deadlock.

For the first time in the City of Phoenix's history with AFSCME Local 2960 we CANNOT come to an agreement with the City over the upcoming 2014-2016 contract. For over 45 years we have negotiated a fair contract with the city, even during the dark days recession, but this year we are at impasse. The City’s last best offer was to continue our concessions two more years AND to add a total freeze on all merit increases and longevity for two years, and a freeze on sick leave and vacation days that count towards your pension. Additional cuts include wanting our members to take additional furlough days on two holidays plus 1/2 holiday on Christmas Eve. As well, the city wants to take away our units life insurance/health and welfare policy which has so far helped over 25 of our brothers and sisters families when they lost their loved one in the last few years. For our members that still receive merit increases these concessions would have meant 13% less pay over 2 years. For some of those that receive longevity it would have meant thousands of dollars less over two years. For those near retirement the snap shot and freezes would have impacted pensions for life. For new members it would have meant less pay in two years than you are getting today. For all of our members it would have been an additional 11 furlough days (totaling 30 furlough days over the last few years). We fought for something more reasonable day after day...week after week, up until 2:00 am last Friday night. The city would not budge. After a year of telling us the economy has picked up, after giving a city manager a $78,000 raise, after our sacrifices year after year to balance the city’s finances...they want to force a contract on us more draconian than ever before. At this same time the city releases a ridiculous budget to the citizens showing hundreds of our unit members on the chopping block. A wipe out of detention officers, fire prevention specialists, closing of pools, senior centers, and community centers. A budget that not only decimates our employees but risks the safety of the citizens of our city and the loss of services to our most vulnerable. They have used such scare tactics before. They have lied to the public before. They have lied to city council before. This is no different. I no longer have faith in our city management who have produced a budget with not ONE suggestion of a source of income. I no longer have faith in our city financial wizards who told us 2 months ago that the city was doing great but now are saying we need $40 million. I no longer have faith that the city wants to bargain in good faith. AFSCME Local 2960 and 2384 have now picked a fact finder who will be presented testimony over the next two weeks and who will summon city personnel and negotiators under oath to present the facts and truth of our current economy. AFSCME has international staff in town to present the city revenue options. AFSCME has hired lawyers to defend our rights. AFSCME has gotten staff from Washington DC to go line by line through this budget. This level of confrontation with the city has never happened in the past...We have never gone this far. But then again we have never faced such persecution before. I ask the members of Local 2960 to remain calm during this tumultuous time and know that the union is using every available resource to secure your job and your pay and we WILL NOT bow down and be used as scapegoats to bad financial decisions. Myself and Luis Schmidt, President of AFSCME 2384 went before city council a few months ago and told them not to get rid of the 1% food tax early until we knew for sure that we were out of financial difficulty and the council turned their heads. Now, we find out the deficit if almost exactly the same as this 1% food tax was. Well now its time for that same council, who ignored our warnings to step up and fix this. It is now up to our members to voice their opposition. It is now up to this local to say Enough is Enough. This Tuesday, March 25th at 2:00 pm City Council will be reviewing this budget for the first time. I hope you will show up if possible and voice your opposition to this budget and these cuts in pay. If you can't make it...WRITE and CALL every council member in the city and tell them what you think -- their contact info is here: http://phoenix.gov/mayorcouncil/councilstaff.html .We can no longer be silent, we can no longer sit back and watch, we can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines and not get involved. Too much is on the line. VOICE your opposition before that voice is silenced.My staff is working on a summation of our negotiations. This is a lot of information, and we hope to have it compiled and posted on the web by Friday.Yours in Solidarity,Frank A PiccioliPresident- AFSCME Local 2960

The switch took place under the previous city manager..it was demanded by a certain councilman. The city will not change from zero based budgeting unless directed to do so by council. I encourage you and all employees to attend the city council meetings as well as the community budge meetings and voice your opposition to this budget.

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David

3/24/2014 07:17:05 am

Exactly! They paid the executive to leave with a $3M raise and the former city manager with a $78,000 raise. But the frontline employees they will starve until we have to leave because our services and experience are so variable that they BELIEVE we can be replaced. We are the frontline employees that make the executive look bad or look good. Today management takes the opportunity to rise cry out "Poverty" and recoup the expense of those raises against our income.

ZBB does not preclude use of other budget-balancing techniques. Governments that use ZBB also can use other methods of balancing the budget such as changing employee benefits, improving revenues, or seeking efficiencies in the delivery of
services.

That is why all of "us" the employees must rise to educate the public and city council and let our voices be heard.

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david

3/24/2014 08:34:04 am

Many will not stand tall because of the fear of reprisal. Speaking your mind is not what a "politician" or an administer is open to hearing. The course of action the city is taking is to perform an exorcism of those who have been employed with the establishment for any length time. The tactical diversion is needed for a professional auditor "to work as the mediator of the book of accounting" because the amount the city is stating is impossible to reach; unless; the establishment has been in the red for more then a 2 year budget cycle.

Lynn

3/24/2014 09:10:34 am

I agree wholeheartedly.

Lynn

3/24/2014 09:07:35 am

I have voiced my concerns via email to each and every one of the districts. I will NOT be silent. I take care of my parent's finacially as well as have two children in college. This will devastate us as well as many of you.

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Frank Piccioli

3/24/2014 10:27:36 am

David, We have never had one case of an employee being disciplined or reprised against for speaking out at city council. In fact our friends on council have encouraged and told us that the workers and their families must speak out to stop this travesty. They need to hear from us in order to take action. They need your voice on public record explaining how these cuts will hurt us. As for the fact finding we are doing that as well. But the time for silence is over. It's now or never.

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Meredith

3/25/2014 05:41:26 am

What they are proposing will devastate my family. In the past I was so proud to be a city worker, but now I feel disheartened and abused. I actually don't want people to know I work for the city for fear of verbal abuse at the hands of those in the public who have bought into a certain councilman's accusations. They get scammed out of $78,000 by a past city manager and they want our pound of flesh to replace it. I will continue to do my job serving the public to the best of my ability while at the same time feeling as though there is a target on my back. SAD DAY IN CITY HISTORY.

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David

3/25/2014 07:43:08 am

I know your feelings and concerns. Some will give it all they got to go on with business as usual and City management will TAKE ALL from everyone to prove to themselves as the victors because it is "POWER" of the press for them. Why isn't the press covering the real facts not hyping the threaded lies of the coat and time, perfectly groomed nails, and never a hair out of place city council and forked tongue devil auditors that can make a bracket of numbers say anything they want them say.

One thing is bothering: How can the city council pass such budget if they are saying "I do not understand how we got into this mess." If a frontline employee was behaving like the administrators are right now; the phone to EAP would never stop ring.

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David

3/25/2014 07:49:02 am

I just want to say this to everyone.

Come on make your comments. The city is watching what is being posted. If they were to see 14,000 post and get your friends and family to post. Can not make to council meeting. Say it here say it now. I will be leaving the city soon because of the nasty "bend over" attitude, but many of you will still be here represent yourself now.

Time is running out. It has been two days and only few people are speaking up. Post , post , post........

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George

3/25/2014 11:15:42 pm

This is really a bad time for the city of Phoenix employees as it appear that they are under attack, There is a cancer eating away at the heart of the Phoenix city counsel, I`ve seen times where non-union members have sit back to see what the union has negotiated for them, It is now evident that it is a new day for city of Phoenix employees and time for everyone to get involved.

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Joe Citizen

3/26/2014 02:11:23 am

Maybe if the City stopped paying for all the employees Industrial pay beyond the 2/3 that is federally required all the employees would rush to get back to work and we would not have as many industrial injuries!

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Sue Worker Bee

3/26/2014 03:28:07 am

In response to Joe Citizen, if City workers did not have so much more work to do with so much less staff, we would have less on the job injuries. Now we're facing more cuts and job loss, OF COURSE THE CITY IS GOING TO HAVE MORE WORK RELATED INJURIES!

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A city worker of 35 years

3/26/2014 05:14:29 am

It seems that management and council have forgotten that there wouldn't BE a CITY if not for its employees and they are treating us like this. I for one can't take another cut, can't take any more furloughs, can't take any more freezes. I just want to go to work and do my job without the fear that I won't have the pay that I depend on to live. There's a saying "we live paycheck to paycheck" well I don't even make it to payday as I'm sure a lot of our employees. Clean house management and quit killing those of us who work to make YOU look good...currently it's a horrible place to work and I carried such pride in working for the City of Phoenix. There aren't any luxuries at my house...my car is 10yrs old, my house is 800sq feet, I don't own a flat screen TV, I don't even have a dishwasher...and I can't make ends meet. And a certain council person needs to mind his own house before passing judgement on the loyal honest employees of our city.

I have been a City of Phoenix employee for the past 12.5 years, and have been a Union member since then, in that time I have done my job to the best of my ability to be screwed over and over again because of one council member and his followers who continue to state that we earn 100,000.00 a year, they are so full of $#!7. The reason we are in debt is due to their uncontrolled spending of City of Phoenix tax payers money, Like the new "online Leave slip process" the new vehicals that were purchased with out having the need to do so, the higher pay amounts for the new hired department heads all getting six figured salaries, Mean while we the people are set with the burden of paying back what these idiots have spent. Always and Forever a Union Member Semper Fi

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PW Lady 20 yrs

3/26/2014 06:36:22 am

The cost of everything is going up. We work hard for what we have. No raise for years now. Do more and more with less and less. It seems that they want to take all that we have worked hard for. We already know from the compensation study that was done that we are NOT overpaid. They need to quit acting like we are. We are citizens of the City of Phoenix as well as employees. We shop here, go to movies here, spend our money here (when we have money). Making us poor does not help anyone. Take money from your employees that are doing the work last. Cut costs, cut fringe benefits (from those who get them....$450 car allowance?) but we the worker bees can barely make it now, do NOT take more from us.

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Meredith

3/26/2014 06:44:49 am

I wonder if the public knows about the cuts planned for Parks and Recreation....read below:

The City of Phoenix City Manager’s Office recently issued a trial city budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year that includes proposed reductions that would have a significant impact on Parks and Recreation Department facilities, programs and services if enacted. Because the important summer season is approaching, we’re writing so you have the latest information necessary to plan activities for you and your family. The proposed reductions include:

• Closure of all 13 of the department's full-service community centers including the Beuf, Deer Valley, Desert West, Devonshire, Eastlake, Longview, Maryvale, Mountain View, Paradise Valley, Pecos, South Mountain, Sunnyslope, and Washington community centers.
o With cuts taking effect July 1, this reduction would mean the elimination of full-day supervised summer recreation programs for summer 2014.
• Elimination of recreational swim and dive team programs at all city pools.

• Elimination of supervised activities at the Rose Mofford and Encanto sports complexes.

If you’d like to submit a comment or question on the proposed city budget reductions, you can do so by sending an e-mail from your own e-mail account to: budget.research@phoenix.gov or by using this e-mail comment form or submitting comments by phone at 602-262-4800.

You also can attend one of 17 community budget hearings held throughout April at which you can ask questions, get additional budget details or submit comments. You can see the full schedule of community budget hearings as well full details on the trial city budget online at: http://phoenix.gov/budget/index.html.
Use social media? Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/phoenixparks and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/phoenixparks.

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Frank A Piccioli

3/26/2014 06:49:27 am

Thank you all for your comments...and thank you for those that spoke in front of city council. It was great to see so many voices speaking in unison and council heard us loud and clear and now have directed the city manager to come up with revenue ideas. The union will be going to fact finding with an independent negotiator next Monday and Tuesday and he will be going through the proposals and financials of the city. I encourage you to not only write he about your frustrations BUT to also email every council people. I was told by two council people yesterday that YOUR voices need to be heard and they want to hear them. WRITE.....CALL....EMAIL....let them know your sacrifice and how NO MORE will we take the brunt of their financial mistakes. The union will sign NO CONTRACT that hurts us anymore!!

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Ted

3/26/2014 07:20:09 am

I have worked for the City of Phoenix for over 25+ years, I have always been proud to be an employee until this pension reform came about, now I feel I am being attacked financially, I found out that certain other Departments and Units do not have to take furlough days off, pay cuts, overtime cut backs like I do. I was told that Unit 1 and 2 get to keep there longevity, I ask now "Where is the Equality"?

The Unions are no saints, while being a member they send me political information on who I should vote for? like I am not smart enough to figure that out! instead they should be asking what they can do to help.

Why are the Feds/IRS involved in our pension and Nationwide, is it pay back for the stimulus?

Why is the City blaming high heath care cost on the cuts? is it because the City coddled the so called Affordable health care initiative? another big mistake. Socialized medicine never ever works anywhere.

If I had known my agreement with the City, when hired, would be broken in my later years I would have found other employment elsewhere or even started my own business, These are very sad days indeed.

The persons pushing these cuts on me need to look elsewhere, all to often I see waste with the City and if it is to continue it will collapse upon itself eventually.

The City of Phoenix Mayor and The city Council needs to realize that we are citizens of the City of Phoenix, as well as employees, What they are trying to force down our throats is unacceptable, while the live lavish lives with the perks they want like the car incentives, phone incentives, giving all uppermanagement outrages salaries, if we the front line employees can make it on 30,000 to 50,000 a year so can they, they should have to give up all their luxuries, Leave my meager pay alone, do what is right for the employees and tell that council member to slandering the city employees, In Solidarity America needs unions this is a perfect example of that

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Jorge

3/26/2014 08:43:12 am

The city claims to be $38 million in the hole. Yet they were able to come with the money ($4.34 million) to upgrade the trails and parking and the hilarious chilled water fountains at Echo Canyon. Well the expansion was nice, but it was NOT necessary. What about the nonsense related to upgrading Hance park downtown? $115 million dollars over 10 years!!! This is not a cost effective expenditure. It is ludicrous. My personal favorite is the Light Rail, what a joke! How much more money is the city going to dump into that comical form of lousy transportation? These are just a few of the idiotic "projects" that the city has thrown money away on.
Doesn't the city and the brilliant minds that run the shows know what they are creating? They come up with Visions and Values and You Shine campaigns, then spin the employee around and stab them in the back! Does anyone take these feeble attempts to promote morale seriously??? If any of the pay/benefits cuts come to pass the employees will need to rally and boycott any purchases in the City of Phoenix. We can take our tax dollars to the surrounding cities and patronize their businesses. I'm sure that Phoenix businesses would love to hear that. Tell all of your friends and family to shop in other cities, not Phoenix.

I hear your frustration and anger and I agree with everyone! We have been suffering and sacrificing for years now. Enough is enough! Let's use all this energy in a way that will help us! Please email or call every council person and show up at the community budget meetings to speak to the council and public.

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John

3/26/2014 02:33:13 pm

I want to say that I'm proud of every City of Phoenix employee. I work with the Police Department and want to say I was proud of working for the City of Phoenix until the attacks started on every city employee. I discourage people from working with the City of Phoenix. The problem is some of our city council members believe that when public employee gets a benefit it's a taxpayer rip off that is unsustainable and the already established laws and contracts must be changed to stop government employees from ripping everyone off in their mind. They have told the public that we make to much money and have lavish pensions and a segment of the private sector believes these council members. We now have city management trying to balance their mistakes off the backs of hard working city employees.

This has caused class warfare among the middle class. They have a grand plan to pit the private sector employees against the public sector employees. They tell the private sector that they have lost their pensions so the public employees must lose theirs. I have lost all confidence in city management and believe anyone wanting to be employed by the City of Phoenix should look at other cities. You never hear about Mesa employees being attacked by their City Council members. In fact you never hear of any other surrounding cities attacking their employees.

I read a comment on one of the AFSCME Facebook post from an employee talking about Jim Waring saying only civilian employees should take a pay cut and not the Police. I want to stress to each city employee that I believe this is an attempt to break our solidarity and we all need to stand together and let the city no we ALL stand together and no one will accept these ridiculous concessions. Keep up the good fight. Frank and Luis I have been impressed with your commitment to your members. Frank and Luis tell the city manager to stop sending emails to employees and telling us how much we are valued and then try to take away all of our benefits. No one is buying what he is selling. Thx

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John

3/26/2014 04:18:29 pm

I forgot to say how important it is that we all show up to the City Council meetings so our voices can be heard. I'm encouraging all officers to attend the meetings because all roads end at the City Council. I'm a proud member of PPSLA and will be standing shoulder to shoulder with EVERY sworn and civilian city employee at the meetings. Thx

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Frank Piccioli

3/26/2014 04:59:07 pm

Ted, I appreciate your comments and suggestions but needed to correct you on some errors.

1) ALL Units ....EVERY single one over the last several contracts have taken the SAME concessions every year. 3.2% of pay has been reduced. (1.6% last year) Unit 1, 2,3,4,5. ALL THE SAME. Some have taken that 3.2% in pay, some in deferred compensation, some in furlough, etc but all have taken 3.2%. Our unit choose furlough instead of pay because we figured at least you would have the day off. Other units took all 3.2% in deferred compensation. But your mistaken if your under the assumption that other units didn't take the same cuts as you. We have explained this year after year....this is pattern bargaining and has always been the tradition of the city and its unions.

2) You were told that Unit 1 and Unit 2 have kept their longevity??? Where did you see that Unit 3 did not keep their longevity? In fact last contract Unit 1 had voted to get rid of longevity and OUR unit fought to save it and succeeded. I am not sure where you got your information but no unit has agreed to get rid of longevity and we would NEVER agree to such a thing.

3) The unions send out information to our members of what political candidates support public sector workers and unions. Not everyone is informed as to what candidates want to cut your pay and benefits and which do not, so we want our members to get the best information to vote for the best candidate. Its our responsibility to inform our members who is for us and who is against us in the elections. As for asking what we can do to help....we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend your rights and fight for your pay and benefits. We spent thousands of hours defending our members and their jobs. Have you not seen us in the newspaper...on the TV news..,..at city council....in protest marches...at the legislature...at city council?

4) True, we are not Saints ...we are humans and not perfect. But this local has fought tooth and nail for your pay....your merit...your longevity...your health care....your positions...your pension...your rights and continue to do so. if you have not seen the fight we have been fighting, you have not been looking very far.